The Call of Cthulhu - quick thoughts

The Call of Cthulhu

by HP Lovecraft

50 pages

In this short story, a classic of the horror genre, a young man discovers references to a creepy cult in his deceased uncle's paperwork. The cult has apparently been around since the dawn of time and it's followers are quite creepy and violent. Others who come into contact with the cult - or the god behind it, Cthulhu - often go crazy and may even commit suicide. The god hails from the distant stars and personifies creepiness and chaos.

The book is basically a summary of the information the young man has compiled about the cult. There isn't much of a storyline here. Cthuhlu is creepy, yes, but that's about all there is to it. It is a quick, rather dry, story, and I can't say that I felt strongly about it one way or the other.

I read this for part of this year's Dueling Monsters challenge. Check out Fizzy Thoughts on 10/31 to see what others thought of this tale.

Rikki-Tikki Tavi

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

by Rudyard Kipling

audiobook: 40 minutes

narrated by Sumeet Bharati

*** About the Short Story ***

This story is from Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.  It tells of a young mongoose named Rikki-Tikki who comes to live in the home of a man, his wife, and their young son.  Rikki-Tikki, like others of his kind, is very curious and very brave.  When he finds deadly snakes living in the garden and planning to attack the human family, he sets out to kill the snakes and save the family.


*** Why I Listened To It ***

This was available as a free download from Audible.com a while back.  Recently Kiddo and I listened to a creepy story and Kiddo needed something to lighten the mood before he went to bed.  I remembered that I had this on my phone so we listened to it while eating snack together.


*** My Thoughts ***

Does anyone else remember the cartoon based on this?  I just LOVED it!

Anyway, it was a real treat for me to revisit this story with Kiddo.  It is an exciting story, albeit a bit brutal (it IS nature after all, and nature isn't always nice) and I remember really enjoying it when I was young.

For once, a story that I loved as a child stood up to the test of time and I still enjoyed it as an adult.  I've never read or listened to all of The Jungle Book (though I am, of course, familiar with the Disney movie, and Cub Scouting draws heavily on imagery from the book) but I might have to do that now ...


*** Kiddo's Thoughts ***

Let me tell you, Kiddo was hooked on this story from the very start.  I had to keep reminding him to finish his snack, to pay attention to eating, because he was so caught up in the story that he just sat at the table staring into space, listening with all his might.


As soon as the book ended I sent Kiddo off to brush his teeth and get ready for bed.  A few minutes later, over the sound of running water and brushing teeth, here's the conversation we had:

Kiddo: "Mom, can I have a mongoose for a pet?"
Me: "Maybe if we lived in India."
Kiddo: "Oh. Because I'd really like one to cuddle up with."
Me: "Sorry Kiddo."

After he got in bed and snuggled in I heard him calling me from his room:

Kiddo: "Mom, do they make stuffed mongooses? You know, like regular stuffed animals?"
Me: "I'm sure they do, but I don't think I've ever seen one.  Would you like me to look for one for you?"
Kiddo: "Yeah! I really want one."
Me: "Ok, I'll see what I can do."

Unfortunately all I found was this one, which although cute is also ridiculously expensive.  Anyone know where I can find a reasonably priced stuffed mongoose toy that I could give Kiddo for Christmas?!



*** Your Thoughts ***

Did you read this story or see the movie as a child?  What did you think of it?  How does it compare to the other stories in The Jungle Book?

Both Ways is the Only Want I Want It

Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It

by Maile Meloy

256 pages (paperback)

read via the Kindle app on my phone

*** About the Book ***

In this collection of short stories connected only by their Midwestern setting, Meloy looks at the lives of various people whose desires and feelings seem to conflict with themselves.


*** Why I Read It ***

This was my book club’s pick for August. I’d never heard of the book prior to it being nominated.


*** My Thoughts ***

First a bit of a rant …I had a heck of a time trying to get a copy of this book! The library’s wait list was atrocious (I ended up getting the book a week after my book club meeting) and the bookstores were out of the hardback in anticipation of the paperback coming out. Finally someone suggested that I buy the eBook – duh! Why didn’t I think of that?! So just days before our meeting I downloaded the Kindle App for my phone and purchased my very first (not-free) eBook. YAY!

Some of the stories in this book really struck me. In one story, possibly my favorite in the book, a father confronts the girlfriend of the man who murdered his only daughter. The father is looking for answers but ends up learning things he really didn’t want to know. I read this around the time that I watched the episode of Deadliest Catch where Captain Phil dies. These two stories, one true, one that reads like truth, both dealing with an unexpected death albeit in very different ways, will forever be linked for me.

There were other stories that I really didn’t connect with, stories that really bothered me. These usually had to do with parents making poor decisions that would eventually affect their children.

I enjoyed this book but not nearly as much as the only other short story collection I’ve read in recent years, Jhumpa Lahiri’s INTERPRETER OF MALADIES. Still, I’m glad I read it – it gave me some stories that I’ll continue to think about for a very long time.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Have you heard of this book before? If you are a fan of short stories, does this book appeal to you?

The Invention of Morel

The Invention of Morel

by Adolfo Bioy Casares

90 pages

originally published in 1940

translated from Spanish by Ruth L. C. Simms

*** About the Book ***

In this short story, the main character is a fugitive from Venezuela who has somehow escaped to a tropical island. The island has several buildings on it but no people. After a long time alone on the island, the fugitive suddenly sees people in the buildings! He is terrified that he’ll be captured so he runs off to the forest and hides. From there he observes these new people and he falls in love with a beautiful woman named Faustine. When he finally gets up the nerve to approach her, she doesn’t even acknowledge his existence. Things become steadily more mysterious and the fugitive becomes more and more confused. Finally he decides to sneak in to the building to see if he can figure out what is going on. What he finds out is strange, unexpected, and life-changing …

(This is technically PART of a book, since I read it from a book of collected short stories, all by the same author. )


*** Why I Read It ***

This book counts for the LOST Books Challenge (since it was mentioned in the show) and for the Mind Voyages Challenge (since it won the 1941 First Municipal Prize for Literature of the City of Buenos Aires). Lately I’ve been on a roll with books that count for more than one challenge!



*** My Thoughts ***

This is an odd little story. I could probably have read it in one sitting had I had that much time; instead I read about 15 minutes before bed each night, making the book last about a week. It gave me more time to consider what exactly was going on.

The pace is quick, the writing/translation flows nicely, and the story is intriguing. I really enjoyed reading it, although the entire plot is somewhat disturbing. I can’t say why or I’d be ruining it for you, but suffice it to say that there is definitely some “funny business” going on with Morel!

I do have to point out that the idea of falling in love with someone you’ve only seen from a distance and expecting her to love you back is not only far-fetched but demeaning to the other person in my opinion. That part of the story really bothered me. [I read later that this situation is based on the author’s own appreciation of silent film star Louise Brooks (details can be found here); it does actually make a bit more sense now. Oh, and that's her on the cover of the book.]

On the whole, I did enjoy reading this; it is a story that will stick with me for a long time.


*** Connection to LOST ***

For the fugitive, life on this island is not what it appears to be. The same could be said of the LOST island, that’s for sure. In the story Morel has created his own version of the world just the way he wants it to be (or, at least, mostly the way he wants it to be). Again, the same could be said of LOST; Ben ran Othertown the way he wanted it to go, at least for a while. And neither Morel nor Ben – nor many other characters on LOST – are averse to manipulating people to get what they want with little regard for the feelings of those people.

That’s MY opinion … let’s see what Lostpedia has to say:

[In the episode Eggtown] Sawyer is seen reading this book at the barracks.

Seriously?! That’s all you’ve got?! Even I did better than that …


*** Your Thoughts ***

I can’t imagine that many of you have read this one, but maybe I’m wrong … if you have, what did you think of it? If not, are you intrigued? Also, if a book disturbs you in some way is that a good thing or a bad thing for your enjoyment of the book?

Out of Africa (and) Shadows on the Grass

Out of Africa and Shadows on the Grass

by Isak Dinesen
462 pages

*** About the Books ***

Both books are collections of short stories and character studies based on Karen Blixen's (aka Isak Dinesen's) life in British East Africa between 1914-1931. The two books were released approximately 25 years apart but seem to belong together, hence the reason they were republished as one book. They give a glimpse into the life of a wealthy Danish woman who truly loved the land and the people of Kenya, and who didn't always fit in with the prevailing British society of the time.


*** Why I Read It ***

I've always loved the movie Out of Africa and have wanted to read the book for quite a while. I recently listened to a biography of Isak Dinesen and that spurred me on to start this book. My copy came from the library.


*** My Thoughts ***

This is a beautifully written book that sucked me in from the beginning and didn't let me go until the end. However, if I had read this book without first listening to Dinesen's biography I would have been greatly disappointed. Let me explain ...

I wanted to read this book because I expected that it would give me more details than I got from the movie - that's what books usually do, right? They are supposed to fill in the blanks left by the movie. I especially wanted to know about the author's love affair with Denys Finch-Hatton (played in the movie by Robert Redford).



In fact Denys is hardly mentioned at all in OUT OF AFRICA, and when he is it is not apparent to the reader that he is anything more than a close friend. This didn't matter to me in the end because I'd already learned everything about their relationship from Karen's biography.

The book also makes little or no mention of Karen's husband, Baron Bror Blixen, or how she contracted and lived with syphilis, or how hard she struggled to keep her farm going. All those details that I wanted after seeing the movie are not to be found in OUT OF AFRICA ... but they are to be found in her biography. With those details already in mind, I was able to enjoy this book for what it is.

And what, exactly, is it? It is a collection of anecdotes about the people and places that made an enormous impression on Karen Blixen. It is her love song to Africa, to the people of her farm, to the farm itself, and to the beauty of the land surrounding her.

The author of her biography related the following story: When friends asked why Karen didn't write about Africa immediately after her return to Denmark, she replied that one cannot write about a beloved child the day after it has died.

That is how Karen viewed her farm, as her precious child, and the lost of it broke her heart. This book is a look back at all the things she loved so much, but it is told from such a lofty vantage that the pain and the struggles are difficult to see. The beauty is all that remains.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the inherent racism in this book. It is, after all, the British colony in Africa where the stories take place - racism abounded there as it did just about everywhere during this time period. However Karen truly loved the African people that she knew, and greatly respected Farah, the Somali servant who managed her house and money. In her later life (as I know from her biography) she had African-American friends and upbraided her white friends for their racist remarks. Karen wasn't exactly unprejudiced, but she was much more fair-minded than many of her contemporaries.


*** About the Movie ***

As I said, I truly love this movie. For those who haven't seen it, here's a trailer for you to check out:



What I realized after reading this book and listening to Dinesen's biography is that the movie is really an amalgamation of the two. The storyline of the movie is Karen's life, and that comes from her biography. But the characters, the land, and the love Karen had for them comes straight from OUT OF AFRICA.


*** Your Thoughts ***

Have you read this book? Seen the movie? Do you love it like I do, or were you not so impressed? Have you read any of Isak Dinesen's other stories? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Mom & Son Book Club #14: A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol: Special Edition
by Charles Dickens
additional material by Stephen Skelton
124 pages
original story published in 1843

I am thrilled to say that I read this entire short story to Kiddo in the original (old-fashioned language and all) and that we both loved it - yay!


*** My Thoughts ***

I remember loving this book when I read it years ago, and I've been wanting to read it to Kiddo for quite some time. I made it one of my goals this holiday season so I'm doubly thrilled to have met that goal AND enjoyed the whole process.

We took about two weeks to read this book despite the very short length. That's because we've been so busy with Kiddo's surgery and the holidays that time kept getting away from us. Plus I had to stop often in my reading to explain things to Kiddo; Dickens is one wordy guy and although Kiddo was paying close attention, he didn't always understand what was going on. So my reading pace was slower than usual but we did finally make it to the end.

(As a side note, my mother-in-law offered me her copy of the book which was rewritten to be more accessible to children. I didn't take it, because I wanted Kiddo to be exposed to the original. And I'm so glad that I stuck with it. In the end, Kiddo said that the old-fashioned language didn't bother him at all and that he really enjoyed the story.)

My opinion? "I love this story and I think everyone should read it at least once. It will restore your faith in humanity and help you keep the Christmas spirit all year round."

Kiddo's opinion? "I liked it!"


*** Mom & Son Book Club Questions ***

Did you like this book? Yes, but there were good parts and bad parts. [Mom's note: After much discussion, I realized the "bad" parts were those times when he was really bothered by the characters' actions.]

What was your favorite part? When Scrooge gave Bob Cratchitt a raise. And when Tiny Tim said "God bless us, every one." [Mom's note: Kiddo also pointed out that in the Mickey version, Scrooge makes Bob his partner, but that it doesn't happen in the book. Kiddo wasn't happy about that or that Scrooge didn't bring toys to the Cratchitt house, as those are his favorite parts of Mickey's A Christmas Carol.]

What was your least favorite part? When the people stole Scrooge's stuff after he died - that was so mean! [Mom's note: Kiddo was REALLY bothered by this whole section. It was worse for him than the creepiness of the Spirit of Christmas Future or of Scrooge being dead.]

Would you recommend this book to your friends? No, because it might scare them and they might not understand it. Did it scare you? No. Did you understand it? Yes. So you're saying that you're smarter than all your friends? [Here Kiddo started smirking slightly.] Well, a little ...


*** Other Thoughts ***

One of the reasons I wanted to read this with Kiddo was to prepare him for the Disney version that is in theaters now. He loves Mickey's A Christmas Carol, but I'd heard that the Jim Carey version was a bit more intense and I wanted to be sure he wouldn't be scared by the images that go with the Ghost of Christmas Future. Now that we've read it, we're ready to see the film. I just hope there is time before - or right after - Christmas!


*** About This Version ***

The version of the book I read is pictured above and is a new release this year. It includes a TON of annotations that illustrate Dickens' many Biblical references in the story. It also includes discussion questions that could be used with a Bible study group or for family discussion.

In reading this book to Kiddo, I chose to read him the story only. After we finished the story, I went back and read all the annotations and discussion questions on my own. I LOVED the annotations! In fact, I wish I'd read them before reading the story to Kiddo; they would have helped me to explain some of the sections better. And although I didn't use the discussion questions, I can see that they would be a great basis for a fun and insightful group discussion of this book.

Here's a video that shows you some of the pages inside and give you a better idea of what this version of the book is all about.



Thank you to the publicist for sending me a copy of this book; I was planning to read this story during December anyway, so the book arrived at the perfect time. And this version was a real treat, one that has gained a place in my permanent collection.


*** Your Thoughts ***

I KNOW that many of you have read this ... so where are all your posts?! I certainly can't find them. Here are two reviews that I DID find:

• Wordsmithonia read it for the 1st time and really appreciated Scrooge's character, more so than in the movie versions.
• Library Dad also appreciated the written version more than the Hollywood versions.

I'd love you include yours here - just link to it in the comments!

The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum

by Edgar Allan Poe
22 typed pages

Yet another of Poe's stories that I thought I'd read but definitely had not. Boy, is this one creepy. The narrator has been convicted by the Spanish Inquisition (of heresy we presume) and sentenced to death. He faints, then awakens in a pitch black prison. The rest of the story details the various form of psychological torture he is afflicted with while awaiting death.

I don't want to say any more than is absolutely necessary about this story because part of the terror you feel as a reader comes from not knowing what will happen to this poor guy next. Suffice it to say that I read it during the day at work because I was afraid it would invade my dreams if I read it by myself at home in the evening.

And ... this is my final review for the 1% Well Read Challenge - YEAH!

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
by Sherman Alexie
242 pages

This book is the first collection of short stories by Native American author Sherman Alexie. The stories are mostly autobiographical* and focus on life on the Reservation. This book was the basis for the movie SMOKE SIGNALS which I loved. The movie clip below incorporates parts of at least three different stories found in this book:

*** My Thoughts ***

I've said before that I'm not a fan of short stories but after my wonderful experience reading INTERPRETER OF MALADIES, by Jhumpa Lahiri, I decided to give them another try. I also figured that there might be some similarity in the way Lahiri and Alexie each dealt with the ethnicity of the characters in their stories. I'm not sure if I could have been any more wrong!

Whereas Lahiri's writing is fluid and soft, Alexie's is sharp and choppy. While Lahiri's stories are linear and move in an ordered direction, Alexie's stories jump from one place/time to another and sometimes back again. There is also a strong sense of ... something ... mysticism, maybe? ... present in Alexie's work that is not found in Lahiri's. The two authors are so completely different that I can't even begin to compare them.

I'm very glad I read this book but I can't say that I really liked it or understood it. It hasn't turned me off from Alexie's work though - I'm still very interested to read THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART TIME INDIAN and several of his other books.

Oh, and I have no idea why the book has the title that it does. I read the story with that title and I just didn't get it. If you've read this, can you please explain it to me?

*** A Bit About This Edition ***

I read the 10 year anniversary edition of this book. It includes an introduction by the author as well as two additional stories. The introduction was quite necessary for me - without it, I may have quit reading early on. In it, Alexie talks about how he got his start as a published writer and which parts of the stories are "true". His personality really shines through in this introduction, much more so than in the stories that make up the rest of the book. It was the introduction that made me want to read more of his work.

The final story in the book was one of the two added to this edition, and it was by far my favorite. It is a much more traditional story in that is has a definite plot. For me, the characters in this story seemed much more real and much more relate-able than those in his other stories. It could be simply because I don't have a Native American background (although I really don't think that is it) but I found it hard to relate to most of the other stories.

One more thing about this particular edition is that it included a Discussion Guide at the end. Now I'm all about Discussion Guides. They can make you think about a book in a new way, notice something you didn't notice before. I always read the questions even if I'm not reading the book for book club. HOWEVER ... I'd like it if the questions got the facts of the book right. Maybe it was simply a proofreading thing or maybe this question-writer didn't actually read the stories, but there were two distinct mistakes in the questions that really bothered me. Have you ever had that experience before?

*** Your Thoughts ***

Has anyone else read this book? What about some of his other books? Am I right in thinking that his writing style is different now than it was in this first book?



*According to the introduction, Alexie at first denied that the stories were based on his own life but later retracted his denial.

The Fall of the House of Usher

The Fall of the House of Usher

by Edgar Allan Poe
20 pages
first published in 1839

*** The Plot (without spoilers) ***

An unnamed narrator travels to the home of his boyhood friend, Roderick Usher. Usher requested the visit in the hopes that it would cheer him up. Upon arrival the narrator find that Roderick, always a hypochondriac, is much changed in appearance and is complaining of various maladies. Also in the house is Madeline Usher, Roderick’s sister. She is ill as well and not expect to live long. The narrator and Roderick spend much time together over the next few weeks, and what happens during those days is the focus of the rest of the story.


*** Literary Criticism & My Thoughts ***

(I so wanted to call this section LitCrit but I figured that was overdoing it.)

Since this is such a short story, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to check out what the “official” opinion of it is, and contrast that with my own. Here’s a bit of what I came up with, with links to where I found the info.

According to Wikipedia, this story was first published in BURTON’S GENTLEMEN’S MAGAZINE in 1839. It is Poe’s most famous work, but it has also been criticized for being too formulaic.

One article I read was quite informative; all the following quotes and references are from there.

“As is typical of the Gothic genre, the story is set in a dark, medieval castle, and uses a first-person narrator to instill a sense of dread and terror in the reader.” The article goes on to say the this story “has been lauded by scholars as a prime example of the Gothic short story.” Poe’s use of the first-person POV *is* very powerful and I was definitely feeling that sense of dread through the story.

The article points out the probability that Poe was attributing Roderick’s and Madeline’s illnesses to repeated inbreeding (incest!) in their family. I totally didn’t get that impression when I read the story, but it does make a lot of sense now. I'm still not sure I buy it but it *is* plausible based on the text.

That same article goes on to say that others attribute the illnesses to something supernatural rather than something natural. These dual interpretations, the ambiguity of the illnesses, and the general *feel* of the story itself, reminded me of THE TURN OF THE SCREW (which I reviewed here). I think if you liked either one of these stories you’d definitely like the other one.


*** Other Thoughts ***

On the whole I rather liked this story. It was a bit dense (word-wise) but the creepy mood was set perfectly. It's definitely got me wanting to read more Poe.

And speaking of Poe, this year is his 200th birthday. I live just outside Baltimore, Maryland, where Poe is buried, and we're having a year-long celebration of Poe here. You can go to www.nevermore2009.com to get all the details.

I'm trying desperately to finish the 1% Well Read Challenge by Feb. 28 and this story counts - yeah! Now I just have to finish Phineas Finn (776 pages, and I'm halfway through), Delta of Venus (about 150 pages left) and read one more short story ... I think I can handle that.


*** Questions ***

Are you a Poe fan? Have you read this story? Reviewed it? Please share your thoughts.

A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal
by Dr. Jonathan Swift
Originally published in 1729
8 pages

Hmm … not exactly sure what to say about this. In fact, I’m going to suggest that you hop over to Rebecca Read’s review and read before you continue reading this post. She does a great job of analyzing this satirical essay. Had it not been for the fact that I read her review a while back, I would have been completely confused when I read this essay.

~ Ok, I’ll assume you’ve read her review and are back now. ~

I picked this up because it is on the 1,001 Books list and because it is very short. I’d like to know WHY it is on the list though. Is it because it is such a good example of satire? Maybe, but I still found it decidedly unpleasant.

In this essay Swift proposes to solve Ireland’s population and economic problems in the following manner:

A portion of all babies will, at age 1, be sold for food. Their parents would sell them willingly, because they would have enough children to feed/clothe already and because they would get a decent sum of money for their infant. The buyers would be the wealthy who would then serve the meat as a delicacy. This solves the problems of overpopulation (especially Catholic overpopulation) and begging, and also puts money back into the economy.

Yeah, like I said, decidedly unpleasant. Without Rebecca’s review in my mind, I would have been completely disgusted with this essay. As it is, I still didn’t like it at all.

If you didn’t listen to me before, I do suggest you go over and read Rebecca’s review. She’s makes a lot more sense than I do on this one.

Interpreter of Maladies

Interpreter of Maladies

by Jhumpa Lahiri

198 pages

This is not a book I would have chosen to read but it was this month's book club pick so I didn't have a choice. Boy, am I glad that is was!

The book is a collection of 9 short stories about different aspects of Indian and Indian/American life.

Lets begin with the "short story" part of that last sentence. I don't usually like short stories. I haven't read many but usually I find that as soon as I get hooked into the plot, the story is over. This book was very different. The stories did draw me in, but in most cases they were heartbreaking or painful in some way, and I was almost glad that they were over. That sounds like I didn't enjoy the book; in fact I did enjoy it very much, but not in a "fun" way, more in a "meaningful" way.

That brings me to the second part of the sentence above, the "different aspects of Indian and Indian/American life" part. These are not "feel-good" stories - these are "slice-of-life" and "reality" stories. And the reality is that most immigrants, regardless of where they are from, find it difficult to adapt to their new home while not abandoning their homeland. Rather than focusing on the big picture Lahiri gives us snapshots of (usually) immigrants lives, glimpses into the struggles they deal with on a daily basis, the clash of cultures, and so on. Three of the stories are told in first person point of view while the others are told in the third person.

Without spoilers, the nine stories in this book are:

• A Temporary Matter - Indian couple in America loses baby, connects over power outage
• When Mr. Pirzada Came to Dine - young Indian girl in America explains visits of Indian man separated from his family during Partition
• Interpreter of Maladies - cab driver in India feels connection with married Indian American woman
• A Real Durwan - in India a former landowner works as doorman in poor area
• Sexy - an American girl has an affair with married Indian man
• Mrs. Sen’s - a young married Indian woman watches an American boy after school
• The Blessed House - newly married Indian American couple finds Christian “stuff” in their house
• The Treatment of Bibi Haldar - in India young woman with seizures is cared for by neighbors
• The Third and Final Continent - a young Indian man rents room from old American woman before bringing his wife to America

Three of the stories really resonated with me, although I can't say for sure why.

• Mrs. Sen's was the first in the book that really struck me. It was told from the point of view of the young American boy, and I think the insight he provided despite being a American and a child was perhaps the most meaningful part for me.
  
• The Blessed House was funny and sad at the same time, and very enjoyable. As for the ending, of course it bugs me - as with most short stories, it is somewhat ambiguous. I can't wait to discuss this particular tale with my book club to see if the other gals think things ended differently than I do.
  
• The Third and Final Continent was the perfect story with which to end this book. It was my very favorite of the tales. In this story and Indian man rents a room from an elderly American woman while waiting to bring his wife to America. Ends up that the woman is over 100 years old and was born in 1866. The dual clash of cultures - between the Indian man and America, and between the old woman and the America of the 1960s - was fascinating for me. And the ending was more neatly tied up than most of the other stories, which I appreciate. It's interesting to note that this story is based on Lahiri's father, a fact I learned while putting together discussion questions for my book club.

I'm very glad that I read this book. It (somewhat) changed my impression of short stories and it very definitely gave me insight into immigrant experiences that I was unfamiliar with.

This is a powerful book. The stories have insinuated themselves into me and the ones I connected with are continuing to pull at me, almost weighing me down, as if I've added something to myself. I'm not meaning to sound all philosophical, but I'm having a hard time explaining how these stories make me feel so I hope you'll forgive me if I don't make much sense.

My plan was to read one story each night before bed, as it seems that they need a bit of time to "soak in" but I didn't stick to that plan. It worked well at first though, and I suggest trying it out if you decide to read this book.

Questions for my readers:

• Is there a special way to discuss short stories in a book club setting? We've never done it before.
• Are there specific questions we should ask that would help us analyze a short story?
• And, as always, have you read this book? I'd be happy to include a link to your review here.

UPDATE: To read my book club's recap of this book click here.

My Mother, the Crazy African

I'm not a short story reader. The whole "short" part bothers me. I don't want it to be "short", I want to learn about the characters, follow them in their lives, have adventures with them. That means "long" not "short".

Why am I telling you this? Because this blogger just convinced me to read a short story ... and it was fantastic.

My Mother, the Crazy African is an immigrant experience tale. With only 6 pages of "story" it definitely qualifies as "short" but it is also one of those stories that will stick with me for a long time. The author, Chimamanda N. Adichie (aka Amanda N. Adichie) wrote this when she was in college.

Take just 10 minutes of your time and go read this story online - then come back and tell me what you think, ok?